by M K Jones
Maggie felt a knot grip tightly in her stomach. “Alice, it’s your face. Can’t you see yourself there?”
“Of course, Mum. Didn’t I tell you that she looked just like me. She was very sad. Who is she?” Alice didn’t sound at all troubled, just curious.
“What makes you think that’s the same girl?” Maggie asked, trying to keep her voice casual.
“I knew when I saw the coat and boots,” Alice replied. “That coat there and those boots,” she pointed to where they sat on the bed. “She was wearing them that day. I told you, she was very wet.”
Maggie didn’t know what to say.
“Mum, do you think something happened to her? Is that why her clothes were packed away? Perhaps her mother packed them.”
“Maybe. I don’t know.” Maggie was struggling to think what to do next. This was what she had feared. Something a long time hidden was trying to get out. Through Alice.
“There’s something else about this photo.” Alice was looking at the other faces. “I thought I recognised someone else.” She peered again. “Her, maybe?” She seemed to be identifying an older girl standing in front of the teacher.
“Perhaps she looks like someone you know at school?” Maggie ventured.
“Hmm. Not sure. Can we keep the photo out, so we can look again later? What about that other one. What’s in there?”
“Yes, of course,” Maggie replied, relieved at the change of subject. “I haven’t had a chance to open the second one yet. It’s got something very rattly inside. Let’s leave it all now and get your homework done. We can come back later. I’ll have to pack it all away before I go to bed, so we can open the second one then.”
Alice put the photograph on the bedside table and they went downstairs together.
Alice seemed to put the contents of the trunk out of her mind for the next couple of hours, as she did her homework and chatted with friends on her computer. But around eight o’clock she appeared in the kitchen as Maggie finished emptying the dishwasher.
“Can we open the other one now? Please say yes, Mum! I’ve been telling Jade and Cerys. They think it’s really cool! Can they come over tomorrow after school and have a look?”
Maggie felt relieved. Whatever happened in the graveyard, and whether or not Zelah’s belief about inherited memory was feasible, finding the clothes and photo had only sparked a natural level of curiosity in Alice.
“Yes, of course. Tell them that they can come home after school for tea, if that’s OK with their parents.”
“Cool! Thanks, Mum. I’ll go and tell them now and then we’ll open the other trunk, OK?” She skipped out of the kitchen.
Maggie went up to her room to wait. She decided that Jack should have the chance to see what they had found too, so she called him. He had joined in the speculation over dinner about the owner of the clothes and what the other trunk might contain, but Maggie thought that whichever game of magical fantasy he was playing out on his computer would be too gripping to leave for a couple of musty old trunks from the attic. But she was wrong. He signed off right away and joined her.While they waited for Alice to arrive, Jack looked through the clothes.
“What do you think, Mum?”
“About what? I don’t know whose they are, if that’s what you mean, and I don’t know who the girl is in the photo. Do you think it looks like Alice?”
“Spitting image,” said Jack, looking at the photo again. “If you didn’t know it was ancient you’d say it was her. I think it must be related, don’t you?”
“Yes, I just don’t know how,” said Maggie quietly.
“Keep checking it out, Mum. If you’re doing it for good reason, you won’t hurt Alice. I’m keeping an eye on her too.”
Maggie smiled fondly at him. Despite his frequent bouts of aggressive teenage angst and his fourteen-year-old assumption that he had already worked out everything that was worth knowing, Maggie knew that he cared deeply about her and his little sister, and that she could rely on him to protect Alice. It was comforting to know that Alice turned to Jack for advice when she didn’t want to speak to her mother and that Jack never turned her away.
Alice arrived in a rush and threw herself onto the bed. “OK, guys, let’s open her up!”
Jack dragged the small trunk onto the bed and began to work on the buckles. They were rusted together and difficult to move, but leverage with a chisel soon resulted in both buckles springing back. He threw the top back and they peered inside.
There were no clothes in this smaller trunk, in fact it had little inside. They appeared at first glance to be toys and knick-knacks. Maggie had warned the children while Jack was battling with the buckles that she wanted to record everything as it came out, so they took out the items one by one, Jack and Alice taking turns to pick something out and describe it to Maggie taking notes.
They found only half a dozen things in the trunk: a rag doll, a couple of embroidered handkerchiefs, a small glass cockerel wrapped in an old newspaper article about an escaped bear, a cushion with a motif that said “Praise the Lord” and a newspaper cutting, that was about the anticipated steamship crossing from Newport to the seaside resort of Weston-super-Mare across the Bristol Channel on the following Sunday.
“If these belonged to the girl, she didn’t have very much, did she?” Alice remarked as they took the newspaper, out of the small trunk, which now sat empty on the bed.
“I guess that Christmases are much better now than they used to be,” Maggie replied with a grin. She was always generous at Christmas, joking with Alice and Jack that she single-handedly kept the toy and electronic departments of several large stores in business.
Jack had picked up the trunk to examine it in more detail. “What do you think it was?” he asked.
“Well, it looks to me like a luggage set, so perhaps it belonged to someone who needed to go on a long journey,” she replied as he looked at the buckles.
“Look!” Jack exclaimed, “I think these might be initials. What do you think?” He was scratching at a small area of leather between the two buckles that was encrusted with grime. Maggie and Alice moved their heads in to look more closely and could see that where he had scratched what seemed to be the letter “T” had appeared in an elaborate script.
“Can I take it to my room and work on it some more?” Jack asked. “I’ll try the other one, too. It’s just as dirty, so it might have some letters in the same place.”
“Of course,” Maggie replied. “Do it carefully. It looks like the initials may have been painted on, so be sure you don’t scratch the paint off along with the dirt. Alice, will you help him?”
The children took both trunks into Jack’s room, then went to find dusters and wet cloths to begin the clean up.
Maggie moved the clothes and the other possessions from her bed onto the settee under the window. As she picked up the article wrapped in the newspaper, she noticed that the top of the page was similar to the one that she had seen previously at the library, from the local newspaper of 1883, The Merlin. If she took it with her tomorrow, she might be able to find the original report and date this article. Perhaps she could do the same with the information for the ship crossing? She was excited at the prospect of some real detective work. She carefully unwapped the newspaper and put it with the article into a plastic pouch which she put in her briefcase ready to go to the library.
A little while later she went to check on how the children were doing with the cleaning. They had uncovered what looked like “J” but it was very faded. Both trunks, however, had cleaned up well and were made of hard brown leather.
“We can carry on tomorrow,” Maggie said as she sent them both off to bed.
Once they were both settled, weariness overtook Maggie. She didn’t even feel like looking at the photo again, so she put it into another pouch in her briefcase, went to her room, and fell quickly asleep. But her sleep didn’t last long.
Twenty Three
May 1883
Ruth jumped to her
feet and put a hand to her mouth. She glared expectantly at the back door for what seemed like an age, before John entered. He was alone. He stood in the doorway, returned her gaze and shook his head. Ruth slumped dejectedly back into her chair.
The men who had been with John crowded the doorway behind him and he moved towards Ruth, to let them in. Gwen began at once to fuss over them, taking their packs and chiding them to remove their boots.
“We walked about halfway to Newport,” he said quietly, sitting next to her, taking her hand. “There was no sign. But,” he squeezed her fingers, “we did find a group of men working in a field who said that a dangerous-looking vagrant child approached them and asked for bread and water, but they chased her off. I think from the description that it might have been Alice.”
“How did they describe her?” Ruth looked intently at him. “Tell me!”
“They said that she was unkempt, and wet. Her hair was wild and straggling around her face.”
“Oh dear Lord! What can have happened to make her do this?”
“Whatever it is, we shall discover it as soon as we find her, and she shall tell us why she has given us such worry over her,” John replied, his face grim, supporting her by her arm. “Tomorrow we’ll all search towards Newport, for I believe that’s the direction in which she is going.”
Ruth nodded. They sat silently together, as Gwen gave the men bread, cheese, and cups of tea.
“What time would you like us back tomorrow, Mr Jones?” asked one.
“As soon as you can get here, let’s say around seven o’clock?” John stood and faced the half-dozen men. “I thank you all for your time and effort today. I believe we must continue our search towards Newport tomorrow.” He turned to the three men from Rhiwbina Farm, who stood near the back door.
“If Mr Morgan is able to release you, we’ll be in the vicinity of Bassaleg around eight and I’ll call there for you.”
The men nodded to John, then to Ruth, then took their boots and left the kitchen. John’s farm hands followed.
“I’ll be leaving now, Mrs Jones, if that’s all right?” Gwen Ellis untied her apron and took her shawl off the hook next to the kitchen door. “I’ll be back in the morning with Arthur, around six.”
Ruth smiled gratefully unable to speak. John walked her to the back gate.
“Mrs Ellis, I cannot begin to tell you how grateful we are for your support…” he began.
“It’s no more than you’ve done for me and Arthur, Mr Jones. Mrs Jones is taking this hard, despite her trying to seem well. She was sick this morning. I don’t want to tell tales but…” she hesitated before lowering her voice, “…but she went to the school this morning and was not well received.”
John raised his eyebrows, but didn’t say anything. Instead, he shook Gwen’s hand, causing her to blush and look down at the ground, then turned and walked back into the farmhouse.
John spoke to William and Walter to explain that he had not yet found Alice and that he expected them to behave well for their mother in the coming days. He congratulated them on their help with Ifor and the sheep.
“I nearly got the sheep, Dada!” Walter exclaimed.
“You will catch her next time, Walter. William, I heard from Ifor how well you managed the dogs. I am very proud.”
William blushed. “Thank you, Dada. Will you find Alice tomorrow?”
“We must pray that we do, William. Your mother told me how Alice spoke to you yesterday and what you have been able to tell her. It has been most helpful.”
“She wanted you to know that she is not wicked, Dada.”
“Of course not! Was that a worry for her, William?”
“Yes, Dada. I think she was upset that some people were saying so.”
“Who was saying so?” John asked, although he guessed at the answer.
“I’m not sure who she meant, exactly, Dada. She didn’t say.”
“Thank you for telling me, William. Alice will explain it all when she returns to us. Now, wash yourself ready for supper.”
“Yes, Dada.”
There was nothing to do now but wait for the night to pass. After supper and evening prayers with the boys and Ruth had seen them to bed, she lit the lamps in the sitting room and they sat down together and each gave an account of their day.
John was shocked to hear of the hostile reception Ruth had received at the schoolhouse, and equally worried that she had been made unwell.
“I don’t know how long we’ll be searching, not long I hope, but I think that I should fetch your mother to be with us to help with the children and the farm. You’re going to need some time to devote to Alice once she’s home again.”
“Yes, that’s an excellent thought, John!”
She wanted time to spend with Alice and, although Gwen was a great help, she would be needed for the day-to-day running of the farm. The children were very fond of their grandmother, Ruthie Evans, who not only minded them well but whom Ruth trusted completely.
After the children were asleep, Ruth paced, unsure that she would sleep with so many thoughts flashing in and out of her head, pictures of Alice and the events of the past ten days. But exhaustion overtook her and she was asleep before midnight. She slept heavily, so much so that John had almost dressed and left the bedroom before she awoke the following morning. He was tiptoeing out of the bedroom when Ruth called him, befuddled by sleep.
“John! What’s happened? Is there news? What time is it?” She sat up and put her feet out of the bed.
“It is a little after six and Arthur Ellis has just arrived, my dear. The other men will be here shortly and I’ll leave with them. Please, rest a little more.”
“Just a few minutes and I’ll join you.” She shook her head, searching around the room for her shawl. John walked around the bed and lit Ruth’s lamp, then he took up his own and went down to the kitchen.
By the time Ruth had dressed and reached the kitchen, ten men were waiting there, ready to leave. Gwen was clearing cups and plates into the sink. As the men filed out of the back door, John spoke to Ruth.
“We’re going to take the carts down to Bassaleg and ask at any farms and houses we missed yesterday. Once we’ve collected the men from Rhiwbina we’ll cover all of the remaining farms and perhaps reach the outskirts of Newport. I’ll send word if I’m able.” He saw her look of pleading. “I promise! I’ll send someone back to give you news.” He left, leaving Ruth and Gwen alone again.
John and Ruth had decided that William should not attend school again. It would just have been for a half day, it being Saturday, but they felt that he should wait until Alice was back, so as not to face the other children alone. So, Ruth was surprised to find him in the hallway dressed for school.
“William? I believe Dada told you that you don’t have to attend school today?”
“Yes, I know, Mamma. But I want to go. If anything is being said about Alice I want to be there to tell them that she is a good girl and hasn’t done anything wrong.”Ruth was moved to tears. “That’s very brave of you William, but those who know Alice won’t say bad things. And we shouldn’t listen to the others.”
“Please, let me go, Mammy. Dada said I should help you however I can and I think this will help.”
She was reluctant, but he seemed resolved. It was going to be another long day. Nevertheless, she was worried about exposing him to the spite of Eira and the Morris children.
“I won’t be upset by them, Mammy,” he said, sensing the cause of her concern. He put his arm around her neck. “I will not be tempted to fight, or to say anything bad back to them.”
“Very well, William. But I’ll walk with you.”
Twenty Four
By the time they left the farm the sun had come up and the day promised to be hot. which would be better for Alice if she was still out in the open.
As they reached the school there were already small groups of children waiting in the playground and as they passed, each group fell silent or whispered among th
emselves. William held his head up but clasped his mother’s arm tightly. The two Morris girls were waiting near the door with their mother and a few other mothers that Ruth knew. She prepared herself for the inevitable greetings, which began with an exchange of nods. Elsie Morris smirked at William, when she thought that Ruth couldn’t see.
Ruth walked with William up to the door, which had just opened to reveal Eira Probert standing on the step. Ruth gave no-one a chance to speak.
“Miss Probert, William wishes to return to school this morning. I trust you will welcome him back?” She spoke gently, but the arching of her eyebrows belied the civility of her words.
“I trust he will be able to concentrate on his studies, Mrs Jones.”
“I believe so, Miss Probert. But under the circumstances, a little kindness would be most welcome if William occasionally allows his attention to drift. I’m sure he will be easily called back.”
The teacher nodded briefly and stood aside to allow the children to enter. Once they were all inside the door was firmly shut, leaving Ruth and the mothers standing outside. Ruth immediately turned to leave, but was brought back by a call from Bessie Morris.
“No news yet of your daughter, Mrs Jones?” Ruth turned to see Bessie Morris at the centre of a small group of women. Her expression was sympathetic, but the faces of the other women were like leering cats.
“Not yet, Mrs Morris. Thank you for your concern. Perhaps your husband will be joining the search later? Or indeed any of your husbands?” These were the wives of the elders of the chapel, who, Ruth knew, would be influenced by whatever Robert Pugh was advising. The other women looked discomforted, but Bessie Morris smiled back.
“My husband has important business this morning.”
Ruth said nothing. She simply stared until the smile faded from Bessie Morris’s mouth and she drew herself up. If Bessie was looking for an argument, she was to be disappointed. Ruth turned and walked out of the playground, leaving Bessie staring silently after her. The hum of voices followed her. As soon as she judged that she was out of sight, she ran back to the farm.